Perhaps the autobiography of working-class teenage mother Beverly D'Onofrio is more coherent than the movie inspired by the book. Maybe the print version is more than a coming-of-age story that's meant to span two decades, from the '60s to the '80s, but shortchanges the latter part of the timeline. The film, on its own merits, hits and misses. Short on legit heart-warmth and saddled by a slipshod structure, it's not a complete waste, thanks to the sheer intensity of a game Drew Barrymore, who plays D'Onofrio from age 15 to (here's the real stretch) age 35. She's got that pugnacious, never-say-die quality. If Beverly wasn't such a whiny screw-up who makes dunderheaded choices, it might be easier to root for her. Since she's the nominal heroine, that's a problem. The real reason to see this meandering film is Steve Zahn ("Joy Ride") for his brutal portrayal of Beverly's loser of a husband. Brittany Murphy as Bev's best bud and James Woods and Lorraine Bracco as Bev's parents ain't bad, either.